Have Desperate Housewives Producers Written-Out One of Their Biggest Assets?

(Banner courtesy of richardburgi.com and Richard Burgi Fan Club)

At this point it's common knowledge that we probably won't being seeing much of Karl Mayer (Richard Burgi), the mischievous Desperate Housewives philanderer, during season three.

Street word is that Burgi has definitely not been optioned and he'll appear in only a handful of upcoming episodes. And w/ spoilers indicating that a leading cast member will be killed in a grocery store hostage shoot-out - predictably during November sweeps - viewers should gird themselves for the worst.

With Jeff Greenstein's chatter about "maximum dramatic impact" and "hot drama" and getting "up and running fast," are the producers sounding a little....desperate? And have they thrown Karl out w/ the bath water?

As the narcissistic "Karl the Cad," (origin unknown) Burgi added much needed spice to last year's Desperate Housewives, an otherwise lackluster season which veered off-course w/ the Betty Applewhite subplot.

Let's be honest: Burgi's Karl Mayer saved season two.

Burgi's impeccable comic timing and his hang-dog expressions, his ability to humanize the exasperating Karl, was laugh out loud funny. Burgi lit the screen and upstaged his cast mates on all counts - range, physicality, and chemistry w/ Teri Hatcher.

Memorably, very early in season one, Karl sits at the table in the house he once shared w/ Susan and, instead of issuing a long-overdue apology for abandoning his family, he camouflages his self-indulgence in new age, self-actualization speak. ("The heart wants what it wants" and "I don't want to go back to that ugly place - really.")

Burgi delivered his lines w/ a wink, and we could only smile because everyone knows at least one Karl.

Soon, Karl is back in the neighborhood for good - strutting on Edie's front porch, retrieving the morning paper dressed (barely) in a strategically open-to-the waist bathrobe and scratching his formidable chest like an alpha ape.

At one point, Karl lures Susan to a bar mitzvah rehearsal. He needs Susan's advice, he claims, because "Bridezilla's [Edie] got me auditioning bands" and he's not sure "if these guys have the power to help me get my groove on." Karl dances a little happy jig in a bid to win back her affections. As Susan abandons him at the alter of his manipulations, the camera pulls back for a long shot - a deflated and duck-footed Karl, arms slack at his side.

But we caught a glimpse of Burgi's 24 tough guy persona. He did after all throw Bree's scheming son Andrew up against the dining room wall and patted his cheek to show who's boss.

(Is this a signature Burgi move, along w/ the face patting? In The Sentinel pilot - and like, whoa, is that not a retro-glide back to the days of Dean Valentine's UPN tenure? - I believe Burgi flattened his co-star Garett Maggart up against some file cabinets, and I vaguely recall some face patting at one point.)

It was easy to see how Susan fell for, and had a hard time decoupling from, this lovable, handsome hunk of a jerk. Ladies, have we all not been there before?

Let's hope that Marc Cherry is only placing the character on ice and not inadvisably killing him off. But the ominous failure to option strikes fear in the heart.

Because the whole Susan/Mike ships-passing-in-the-night romance thing is stale, stale, stale. (Besides, any guy who's too dumb to see how psychotic his estranged son is should be written off immediately.) The devilish Karl is way more fun.

Comments

[Sparsky]

Season One: I would never have watched except RB was going to be on and I wanted to follow the plotline. I actually enjoyed the show!

Season Two: Disaster! I wound up watching ONLY when RB was on, and it was never enough. At the end of the season I was saying "Thank goodness Richard's on DH, or it would have tanked totally. I'll give it another chance next season"

Season Three: I'll watch ONLY when RB is on, and if it's not a lot I'll start taping and splicing his scenes. The show needs him a LOT more than he needs the show.

[Annie Booker]

I can only say that at least now I won't have to sit through the rest of Desperate Housewives just to see Richard Burgi. And speaking of The Sentinel, what I wouldn't give to see Richard and Garett Maggart in a series together again. Maybe Richard should try for a role on Stargate. He'd definitely put some life back in that show.

[Laura Townsend]

Richard Burgi is all that keeps this show from being boring beyond words. If TPTB are stupid enough to dump him, then I don't give the show more than another half season. If he is stupidly dumped I sincerely hope that he will find something much better as this thing is a serious waste of his talent. We will definitely stop watching if he goes.

[Linda]

You've hit the nail right on the head. After a great start (and all the media hype) DH just became too full of itself. The character of Karl was the best thing that could have happened to the show. He is funny and unpredicable. Not to mention the best looking guy there (perhaps the other male actors see him as a threat?). Richard Burgi does a great job of portaying Karl, walking that fine line of keeping him a unrepentant cad but immensely likeable at the same time. Not an easy feat as any actor will tell you. If the producers of DH really do lose Karl, well, they have no one but themselves to blame when the ratings go down.

[mary mcnamara]

I just want to say how much I appreciate all the comments. Like - wow! This is just...fun.

I'm switching the order of comments to newest first/oldest last (so this post bubbles up to the top) and dumping my responses into a single post, cutting and pasting the old fashioned way. As I mentioned earlier, if there's another way, I sure haven't figured it out yet. 

There are so many good posts, it's hard to decide how to respond. Here are a few random thoughts.

MJ: "Those missing Emmy noms were no surprise to me, though I think perhaps Burgi deserved a nod.... (hey, I know- Susan meets a new man! We haven't tried that one in 3 weeks.)"

Me: lol! and upcoming in season three, they're introducing yet ANOTHER love interest. It was fun, at first. But then the round of misunderstandings got monotonous. Besides, I really hate it when writers use faux misunderstandings to drive conflict. Per awards in general, I think DH was also shut out of the TCA (Television Critics Association) awards too - which to me are more significant.

Sue: Burgi excels at making people like characters who might otherwise be considered irredeemable - Karl the cad, the ex-husband on "Judging Amy," and Jim the lawyer who slept with both sisters in "In Her Shoes.

Me: Excellent observation about underlying themes in the characters Burgi has played. Or rather the sensibility he brings to the roles.

Kat: Could it be that he took too much from the other actors and left them with complaints about stealing their thunder?.... And yes, those face pats are a Burgi-ism. Garett M. was the recipient of many during the 65 episode run of The Sentinel.

Me: He certainly stole thunder, not unknown to cause a little friction on many a set. :)  So I didn't imagine face pats in The Sentinel. Okay, it's comforting to know that at least some of my synapses are still firing.

Aly: More importantly, I actually began to *want* Susan to give Karl another try.... He was certainly heads above James Denton, who started coming across like a man who'd swallowed too many sour grapes.

Me: I started to cheer for the pairing too. For one thing, when the pair appeared I could count on being entertained. Denton faded from view and I found myself not really caring why.

Marilyn: We saw Karl begin to grow up without losing his impishness or even his determination to have life work out on his terms. So, selfish but also touchingly vulnerable. The rest of the male characters on the show tend to be stereotypes, but Richard Burgi invested Karl with humanity.

Me: Agreed. Karl was never a stereotype, nor predictable. Just when I was sure I had him pegged, he would surprise with glimpses of the undefended Karl. Soon, I wanted to know what made this character tick. Unfortunately, we'll probably never know.

Jamy: I see Susan and Mike fizzling and Susan and Carl sizzling.

Me: just..yes!

[Miffy]

I started watching DH not because of RB, but he's definitely the reason I stayed for season 2. I eagerly looked forward to season 2, but quickly found myself taping episodes so I could have the freedom to fast forward when I got bored -- which happened frequently. My viewing pattern eventually became to fast forward through everything except those scenes that RB was in. The writing and storylines for DH 2nd season was a startling decline from season 1, and if they truly are letting RB go -- the ** only ** good thing to come out of season 2 -- then I have little hope that season 3 will be any better. I'll look for the episodes he is in and look forward to seeing them, but I'm done with the rest.

[Jamy]

So true, Mary. I don't know what the DH creative people see or are striving for, but I see Susan and Mike fizzling and Susan and Carl sizzling. And Richard Burgi is by far the most attractive and well-built actor on the show. Could that be the real reason he's being dumped? I just hope some other TV producers wise up and place Richard in the lead of a great show, instead of a supporting actor role. He can do both comedy and drama (and action). I just have to laugh out loud every time I think of him playing The Nomad on Just Shoot Me. And he makes a great "love to hate him" villain as well.

[Snail]

No Richard Burgi? No taste!

[Joyce Perdue]

Your comments were right on point, Mary. I liked DH from the first, but admit to watching it because I'd heard Richard Burgi would be in it. Last year would have been a complete bust if it had not been for RB. The scene of him throwing Susan over his head and off the bed made me laugh longer and harder than anything else had in years. The kitchen pie scene will go down in memory as one of the best. No one plays a cad of a husband better than RB. Not to type cast him because he always exceeds expectations in whatever role he plays. He made this past season and the producers are short sighted in the extreme not to recognize this. I could forsee Karl being blamed for the hit and run that Orson did. Orson was driving a red car and so does Karl. The plumber was a threat to Karl, or so the police might think. All in all, a nice subplot that could cause Susan to be torn between the two men because she would instinctively know that Karl wouldn't go that far. sigh It's not to be. I used to think, only __ more days until RB is on, but now I'll have to read the TV Guide to find out what episodes he's in.

[RBell]

Richard Burgi is the reason I watch DH. The women are great, but his smile and smirk are what makes his characters so great. He can make a jerk seem almost nice. I hope he stays on the show full time. His talent is often underestimated, which is a shame.

[KarenOD]

Hi, Mary. Your comments about Karl are right on the mark. Richard brought him to life so well. I'll be heartbroken if they kill him off! Your comments about Susan and Mike being stale (and Mike being oblivious to his son's character) were also right. Anyone who remembers the dinner/dessert scene with Susan, the doctor and Karl remembers Karl's absolutely glee at bringing Mike into the mix.

[June]

Well said Mary. I couldn't agree more. I initially started watching DH because it sounded like an original concept, not a carbon copy of everything done before. A show mixing comedy and drama. I'll admit I was hooked from the get go. Richard Burgi's Karl was just the icing on the cake.
I hope Mr. Cherry is just putting him on the back burner for a bit until they figure out where else to go with him. With a cast of this size, it is hard to give everyone their own storyline. With RB only being in a handful of shows I will miss Karl's mischievious sense of humor.
I can still see him pitching Terri Hatcher over his head when they are caught dallying on the bed
with the coats, and him eating the cake and laughing while Dr. Ron and Mike duke it out in the street. I've read recently that Terri Hatcher has been pulling the Diva act and her co-stars are getting tired of her tantrums. If
this is true, she could be one of the ones to go. How long can she continue with the on again off again Mike thing. Richard's Karl saved an otherwise bland season. I hope the producers wise up and give Richard the room to run with this character. They won't be sorry.

[Merlin]

Thank you for so brilliantly stating what a lot of people are already thinking. Richard/Karl was the best thing going on a show that seems to have lost its stride very early.

DH without Richard Burgi won't be worth watching. None of the other story lines look promising, and the relationship between Terry H/James D is just plain boring. After the disaster that was season two, eliminating the one character who brought humor and life to DH could easily spell the end of the show after season three.

No Karl equals no DH for me.

[KarenD]

As plenty of people have stated before me, DH will definitely hold no interest for me without Richard Burgi in it. His appearances were funny and unpredictable and he's a joy to watch. It's a pity MC doesn't appreciate enough the value of a few moments of wacky humor in some otherwise very drab eps.

[Andi]

At the risk of appearing to jump on the bandwagon, I just had to add a "me too". I started watching DH for Karl/RB and carried on watching because I got into the show. However, the second season was disappointing. Apart from when RB was on screen, then it was fun and engaging. Him not being there any more is likely to make me turn off unless they can come up with a riveting story line like the first season had.

[kalee]

Well said Mary.

I have been a fan of Richard Burgi (and Garett Maggart) since UPN's 'The Sentinel'.
On DH, Karl, so wonderfully portrayed by Richard Burgi, was the only bright spot of last season. And the only reason I even bothered to watch the show.

RB has chemistry, comedic timing and has taken an initially shallow charcter to a deeper, more human level. The scenes between Burgi and Teri Hatcher are engaging and entertaining. And throw into the harsh light of reality the stale interaction between Hatcher & Denton.

I have to quote Aly's post from up above for she says it perfectly: "Advice for Mr. Cherry: Good television is magic and those few episodes with Karl front and center defined the word and thus gave us great television. Keep him, care for him, and use Mr. Burgi's considerable and oft wasted talent for the betterment of DH. You won't be sorry."

[Pam]

Mary - Your comments are insiteful, well written, accurate and express exactly what I and my friends were discussing the other day when we became aware of the possibility that DH was going to dump Karl.
Karl who perked up a tired and lackluster season with his puckish personality and twinkle in his eye - that you can't help but like even as you're saying "I'm sooo glad that I'm not the one he's trying to charm into taking him back!"
Well I can always read a book on Sunday night....

Thanks for putting up a *spot on* review.

[mary mcnamara]

holy moley. I guess I'm not the only one who will miss Karl the Cad.

I'm a little new to this blogging thing but, if typepad allows for threading of comments or allows me to reply one by one to each post, I haven't figured out how to do it. :)

anyway - all the posts are much appreciated and I'll try comment further when I get a breather.

[Courtney]

Many of the comments I've read here just echo what I've been thinking. I watched season one, at first for Richard, and actually enjoyed the show, but by season two, I wasn't interested in any of the storylines, except for those with Richard/Karl. I would look to be sure he was in the ep, otherwise I wouldn't bother. If he's not a regular, then I'll only check for the eps that he IS appearing in. His portrayal of such characters as Karl make shows and scenes much better. If TPTB can't see what's right in front of their faces, then I'm not sure WHAT to make of the coming years of TV, and I'm part of the target audience so many networks want to hit too.

[Lyn]

Well said, Mary! Desperate Housewives quickly came the 'Karl' show for me. The other subplots all too quickly became stale and boring and it was only RB's Karl episodes that livened it up. Without him, I can see the show descending into soap opera boredom very quickly. Having been an RB fan for many years (ever since he threw Garett Maggart up against that wall) I do believe Marc Cherry is crazy not to pick up his option for at least another season. Still, maybe Richard would like to come film something in Australia. We'd be very happy to have him.

[Marilyn]

Richard Burgi was the only reason I watched Desperate Housewives, initially because I've enjoyed his past work but, increasingly, because his interpretation of Karl was about the only totally unpredictable element of the show. Karl's a cad in many ways, immature, certainly. But he's funny and human and ... he clearly loves his ex-wife and his daughter. We saw Karl begin to grow up without losing his impishness or even his determination to have life work out on his terms. So, selfish but also touchingly vulnerable. The rest of the male characters on the show tend to be stereotypes, but Richard Burgi invested Karl with humanity, and has made Karl an appealing character. Neat trick, given the shallowness of the character he was given to work with.

Without Burgi, I won't be watching the show. It's all too predictable and aimless, too self-consciously melodramatic with intervening bits of brittle, unconvincing humour. Burgi was refreshing and unexpected, unpredictable. It's a shame that the producers didn't recognize the gem they had.

[Margie]

I could not have said it any better. After season 1 the only reason I wantch DH was for RB and to see what stunt he would pull. I loved it and him. I won't be watchng DH without RB.

[Seabreez]

Richard Burgi is the only reason I watch that show so if he is gone, I will watch something better. He has more charm and personality then any of the males currently on there and is well built and attractive. He is a leading man and needs to have his own show again. He has way too much talent for this dippy night soap opera. His talent was being wasted there. ..only getting a line here and there. I hope someone realizes this and offers him a series...something serious and well worth the man's talent.

[aly]

Bravo! Words that desperately needed saying. There is absolutely no doubt that season 3 veered into the realm of "Huh-oh- what-have-we-done-now- land,", but Mr. Burgi's Karl truly saved the day. More importantly, I actually began to *want* Susan to give Karl another try. Their relationship is whacky, wonderful, and crazy and just what the show needs and needed. He was certainly heads above James Denton, who started coming across like a man who'd swallowed too many sour grapes. Which might be *why* Mr. Burgi's option wasn't picked up.

In any case, we can only hope that Mr. Cherry wises up and realizes what a gold mine he had and could so easily have again.

Advice for Mr. Cherry: Good television is magic and those few episodes with Karl front and center defined the word and thus gave us great television. Keep him, care for him, and use Mr. Burgi's considerable and oft wasted talent for the betterment of DH. You won't be sorry.

[Kat]

Hi, Mary. What nice things you've said about Karl aka Richard Burgi. We loved his character, and agree he was that needed breath of fresh air.

Could it be that he took too much from the other actors and left them with complaints about stealing their thunder? One wonders. I honestly don't think Richard could do anything else but his best. If this was something that happened, well, they're losing a great character in Karl and a nice man in Richard.

On a side note, Burgi is wonderful! He's a joy to watch. And yes, those face pats are a Burgi-ism. Garett M. was the recipient of many during the 65 episode run of The Sentinel.

Can you tell I'm a Burgi (or RB as we affectionally call him) fan?

Thanks again.